


Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

by fortunehasgivenup



Series: And did you know that I'm wild for your skin [12]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: AU, Christmas, Domestic, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family, Fluff, Holidays, Tattoo AU, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:02:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21875635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortunehasgivenup/pseuds/fortunehasgivenup
Summary: Beth goes all out at Christmas time. Rio's happy to help.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Series: And did you know that I'm wild for your skin [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1377679
Comments: 25
Kudos: 183





	Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

“You’re really not going to let me play Christmas music?” Jesse asked, incredulous.

Rio just looked at him.

“Come on, not even a little bit?”

Rio lifted an eyebrow.

Jesse shook his head. “You’re being a grinch!”

Jojo snorted from her workstation. “Have you met Beth? Rio here is probably living in Christmasland when he’s not here.”

She wasn’t wrong. The snowflake crafts had basically started a flood of Christmas and winter activities. 

Beth even had a calendar for cookie making. When Rio had seen it, he’d almost thought she was joking. Marcus had been ecstatic, wanting a copy so that Rio and Cassie could figure out ways for him to be present for every single one of them.

The tree was going up at her place in a few days and Marcus had managed to talk Rio into putting theirs up sooner than usual, so he’d been going home to a Christmas tree for days already.

Jesse frowned. “Now I’m being punished for it? That’s not fair.”

“Life’s not fair,” Rio and Jojo said at the same time.

Jesse huffed, but went to answer the ringing phone.

Jojo laughed. “You okay?” she checked in with her client, who nodded. “If you have some opinions about the music, let me know. I’ll vote against Rio if you want the Christmas stuff.”

The guy shook his head. “I’m good.”

Rio finished drawing a couple of details in over the transfer. “Alright, man, take a look.” He capped the marker and stepped away to let his client check it in the mirror as he finished assembling his kit.

He was about halfway through tattooing the deer on the guy’s back when the familiar opening of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” came on.

Rio sighed. “I’m gonna murder him,” he muttered.

He was just wrapping up his next appointment when Jesse came back with the store phone.

“It’s Marcus’ school,” Jesse said. “They said they tried to call your phone.”

Rio felt his heart stop.

“He’s feeling sick,” Jesse went on. “Threw up.”

Rio nodded. “He there?” He took off his glove and held out his hand for the phone anyways.

He listened as the admin assistant told him what was going on. “I’m on my way out of work,” he replied. “It’ll probably take me at least half an hour to get there.” He sighed in frustration. Why did Marcus’ school have to be so damn far?

“That’ll be fine,” the woman assured him. “He’s here in the office with a book. We’ll call if there are any changes.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you soon.”

He hung up.

“I’ll take your drop-in hours this evening,” Jojo said. “Go get the little sickie and take him home.”

Rio sighed and rubbed his temples. “Thanks.”

“Hey, you’ve done the same for me, except I’ve been the sick one and by sick I mean hungover,” she told him. “Get out of here.”

He gave her a side hug, then turned to start cleaning his station only to find Jesse already doing it.

“Thanks,” he said, squeezing Jesse’s shoulder on his way to the back door.

The drive seemed to take twice as long as usual, even though the clock told Rio that it had taken him three minutes less than usual.

He went right to the office and saw Marcus sitting on the couch behind the front desk. He let out a breath of relief. They might have said that he was fine, but his head had gotten ahead of him.

“Hey, pop,” Rio said, drawing Marcus’ head up from his book. “Not feeling good?”

Marcus shook his head, closing his book and shoving it into his bag before coming over to Rio. He was quiet the whole time, which told Rio more than anything else that something was wrong. 

Bending, he hoisted Marcus up and let his son wrap his arms around his neck and bury his face against Rio’s shirt.

“Let’s get you signed out, okay?” He rubbed Marcus’ back, taking his bag and swinging it over his shoulder while he filled out the form to take Marcus out of school early. “Did you call his mother?”

The woman behind the desk, Mrs. Fournier, nodded. “She didn’t pick up, but she’s a nurse, yes?”

Rio made a grunt in confirmation. “Yeah, she’s on shift. She’ll freak out when she sees the missed calls. I’ll give her a call, but she might call you back before I get a hold of her.”

“Of course. Feel better, Marcus,” she said.

Marcus lifted his face from Rio’s neck and waved. “Bye Mrs. F. Thanks for letting me sit with you.”

Rio carried Marcus out to the car and put him in the backseat. He fell asleep on the drive back to the apartment, but woke up enough to want to be carried in, something Rio was willing to do when he was sick.

“Think you can handle some ginger ale?” Rio asked as he opened the door.

Marcus shrugged.

Around dinner time, the real trouble hit. Marcus threw up again and started running a fever. Rio found himself playing nurse, with the occasional piece of advice from Cassie and Beth, as Marcus went through the gamut of flu symptoms.

He finally fell asleep on Rio’s chest as they watched Spiderman, but it was a long night, listening to Marcus toss and turn, waking up at every sound, wondering if he needed something. Rio scarcely slept.

\--------------------

“Marcus is still sick.”

Beth made a noise of sympathy.

“Shit,” Rio cursed. “I gotta move around a bunch of stuff and I might have to cancel our plans this weekend to make up for the time.”

“What do you have to move around?” Beth asked.

“I’ve got appointments this afternoon.” He sounded frazzled.

Beth checked the calendar. “What time?”

“First one’s at twelve,” he said.

“I can come over there if you can hang on for another 40 minutes,” she said. “I’ve got a delivery, but it’s on the way to your place.”

He was quiet for a beat, then groaned. “God, that would be amazing.”

“You have supplies or should I pick anything up?”

“More soup probably wouldn’t hurt.”

“You’re in luck,” Beth told him. “I’ve got a bunch in the freezer from when I made it a couple weeks ago. I’ll bring it over.”

“Thank you,” he said, sounding exhausted.

“I’ll be there soon, okay?”

“Love you,” Rio said.

Her delivery took a little bit longer than it was supposed to, but she was at Rio’s door just under fifty minutes after she hung up the phone. “Hi,” she greeted him, putting a hand on his cheek and kissing him.

“Hi.” He relaxed into her touch, nuzzling her palm. “Thank you.”

“Hey,” she said, “this is what we do for each other. Now go to work. You okay with soup for dinner?”

“I’ll pick up some bread,” he replied. Turning towards the couch, he went to crouch by Marcus, who looked especially tiny wrapped up in two different comforters, surrounded by pillows. “Alright pop,” he said, brushing Marcus’ hair off his forehead, “I’m heading to work, but if you need me, just ask Beth to call okay?”

Marcus nodded. “Bye,” he said, sniffling.

“Get some rest, okay?” Rio stood, but bent to kiss Marcus’ head. “Cassie’s at the hospital, but she knows he’s not feeling great, so she’ll probably call at some point,” Rio told Beth as he fetched his coat and hat. “Call me if anything comes up and -“

Beth put her hand over his mouth. “Rio, I’ve dealt with sick children before. Many times. It’ll be fine. If there’s any kind of change, I’ll let you know. And you can always call if you’re starting to get worried. But the two of us will be just fine. Now get out.”

She practically shoved him out the door, locking it behind him.

“Hey honey,” she greeted Marcus, perching on the edge of the couch. “What’s wrong?”

He sniffled. “I’m sick.”

Marcus sneezed three times in a row.

Beth passed him the box of tissues and checked his forehead. “Nose, throat, and head?” she guessed. He was hot, but not worryingly so.

He nodded, leaning into the touch. He looked absolutely miserable.

“Do you think you might be able to try a bit of tea?” Beth rubbed his cheek. “We can add honey and lemon.”

“Ok,” he said.

She prepped tea for the two of them, asking him questions to draw out more details about how he was feeling. “How about I read to you for a bit?” Beth offered.

That got a smile out of Marcus.

“Not Percy Jackson though,” Marcus said. “Then Dad won’t know what’s happening.”

“We don’t want that,” Beth agreed. “Don’t want to turn him into a total grumpasaurus rex.”

Marcus started to laugh. “Grumpasaurus rex?”

Beth grinned. “You like that one, huh?”

Marcus nodded, still laughing, only to start coughing after a few seconds.

After he’d settled again, Beth coaxed him off the couch to pick a book from his shelf while she fluffed up his pillows and adjusted the blankets. When he came back though, he left the spot with the pillows open for her and leaned against her side, his little body like a space heater. She wrapped her arm around him and rubbed his shoulder.

“I’m gonna need your help to turn the pages,” she said, opening the book.

He fell asleep a couple of chapters in and Beth carefully slid off the couch, putting his head onto the pillows and covering him back up.

Stripping Marcus’ bed, she started a load of laundry. She managed to wake him up for lunchtime and he seemed a little better.

“And then the baby Yoda eats the frog,” he said as he spooned up soup.

Beth laughed. “So that’s what you and Jane have been watching with your dad, huh?”

Marcus nodded. “It’s so cute,” he said. “Can we get Yoda ears for Buddy? Do you think he’d wear them?”

Beth shrugged. “We can try. I can’t make any guarantees though.”

“Next Halloween, I can be the Mandalorian,” Marcus decided. Smiling, Beth nodded. He’d already mentioned several costume possibilities in the month and a half since Halloween.

“Not baby Yoda?” Beth teased.

“No, Beth!” Marcus shook his head. “He’s a baby!”

“I dunno, what if your dad dresses up as the Mandalorian and he carries you around all night,” Beth went on, making Marcus giggle. He finished up his soup and had a few crackers too, but he quickly flagged after lunch, so Beth directed him back to the couch while she switched the bedding to the dryer.

She was just setting the cycle when her phone buzzed in her back pocket. Pulling it out, she saw Cassie’s name on the screen.

“Hi,” Beth said after accepting the call.

“Hi. How’s Marcus?” Cassie asked.

Beth peeked back into the living room. “He’s passed out now.”

Cassie sighed. “Well that’s good. No change?”

“He was a bit more energetic at lunchtime and he ate all of his soup. Temperature’s the same. You get slammed at the hospital?”

“Don’t remind me,” Cassie snapped. “Fuck, I didn’t mean to shout at you. There’s just a lot going on.”

“I imagine,” Beth agreed. “It can’t be easy any time, but this time of year everyone’s getting sick. Probably doing all kinds of weird stuff despite or because of that. You been able to get home?”

“Yeah, I went home and slept for ten hours, then got back here at about 9:30. I’m taking my lunch, but I wanted to check in on Marcus.”

“Want me to wake him up?” Beth offered. “He probably shouldn’t sleep for too long.”

“No, no,” Cassie immediately replied. “Although I should get a break again in a few hours, so maybe I’ll give you another call and talk to him. See how he’s doing.”

Beth nodded, even though Cassie couldn’t see her. “Of course. I’ll have my phone with me and we’ll be sticking pretty close to the house. Do you want me to message you when he’s up?”

Cassie sighed. “I don’t want to trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble,” Beth assured her. “I’ve had to leave sick kids with other people before. It’s no fun.”

“Thank you,” Cassie said. “Really.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Beth said. “You’ve got a lot going on.”

After hanging up, Beth put away the lunch dishes and tidied up. Out of things to do, she went to Rio’s small bookshelf and pulled a couple of the big art books he seemed to have so many of. She sat on his bed, flipping through them.

He’d bought most of them secondhand, he’d said, but as she turned the pages, she realized that he’d written in some of them. There were pieces of paper that he’d sketched on, then shoved away. A few times, he’d drawn things into the art. There was some other writing as well, unfamiliar, in one of the other books, that must have belonged to another previous owner.

Part of Beth twitched at the idea of marking up books, but she found herself enjoying Rio’s little comments here and there.

A series of sneezes got her attention and had her checking on Marcus. Taking a moment to text Cassie, she agreed to let him watch some TV. As she set up The Mandalorian for him, because apparently she needed to see it, her phone buzzed again.

Picking it up off the coffee table, Beth checked the caller ID.

“You want to talk to your Mom?” Beth asked, pushing his hair back off his forehead. He was a little clammy, but felt cooler than before. He nodded.

She passed him the phone.

“Hi Mommy,” he said, still sounding stuffed up. “Uh huh.” A pause. “We had soup.”

Beth smiled and left him to talk to Cassie for a few minutes while she took the laundry out of the dryer.

When she came back out of the utility room, Marcus was still on the phone and had perked up a little. Eventually, he hung up the phone and curled up in his blankets again.

“Feeling a little better?” she asked, leaning over the back of the couch.

Marcus nodded. “A little bit.” He held up his fingers to illustrate.

Laughing, Beth straightened up. “You want to watch TV still?”

Rio got back right before 7, bags of groceries in hand.

“He’s fine,” Beth said before he could say anything. “He’s taking a bath right now.”

He slumped, moving to drop the groceries. He rubbed his hand over his face. “Thank you.”

Beth went to stand right in front of him and set her hand on his chest. “The door’s slightly open, so he probably already heard you come in. Why don’t you go say hi before he runs out here naked.”

Rio snorted, kissing her hair.

“He is your son, after all.” Beth patted his chest. He kissed her head again, then went to the bathroom, shedding his jacket as he went.

“Hey pop,” she heard as she started to empty the grocery bags. They spoke for a few minutes, nothing more than a steady murmur reaching her ears. Eventually he came out, the front of his shirt a little wet. Beth smiled when she saw it.

He glanced down and detoured to the closet to change.

“You two were good?” Rio asked when he came back out.

Beth nodded. “He was pretty tired, but he kept his food down. He’ll probably be better in the morning.”

Rio wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. “Thanks.”

“Now let’s get you something to eat,” she said. “You look like you need it.”

He hummed, but didn’t let go of her for a moment.

Marcus came out in a clean pair of pajamas, already yawning. But he joined them at the table and had a bit to eat as he told Rio about what they had done.

“Know what Beth called you?” he asked.

Rio leaned back in his chair. “Hmm,” he tapped the table, “the handsomest man in the world?”

“No!” Marcus rolled her eyes. “A grumpasaurus rex.”

Rio looked between the two of them. “Did you now?” he directed the question to Beth.

“I said that you might be,” Beth said, raising her hands, “if we read Percy Jackson without you.”

“You think I’m a grumpasaurus?” Rio repeated, still shifting his focus back and forth from Beth to Marcus.

“Maybe sometimes,” Marcus allowed. “Like when Tia Lora eats the last piece of cake. Or when you have to wake up real early. Or when someone does something silly at work and you have to fix it.”

Rio put his hand over his heart. “You two ganging up on me?” he asked.

“No!” Beth said at the same moment that Marcus replied, “Yup.”

Beth turned her gaze to Marcus. “Are you selling me out to your dad?”

Marcus grinned. “Maybe.”

“If you weren’t sick,” Beth told him, “I’d tickle you.”

He gasped and covered his belly. “Noooooo.”

When Beth looked over at Rio, he was watching Marcus with a soft expression on his face, one tinged with a great deal of relief. He’d been worried. Reaching out, she took his hand in hers.

“What does Marcus want for Christmas?” Beth asked once Marcus went down for the night, still sounding kind of miserable. Rio had coaxed her into lying down on the couch for a while, promising that he wouldn’t let them fall asleep there.

Rio laughed. “What doesn’t Marcus want for Christmas?”

Beth poked him in the side.

“I’ll send you a sneak peak of his list before it gets sent off to Santa,” he promised.

“And what about you? What do you want for Christmas?” Beth’s touch turned teasing as she dragged her fingers up and down his chest.

“I dunno. Cassie normally helps Marcus pick something out and my ma goes for practical gifts these days.”

“She gives you socks,” Beth guessed.

Rio’s teeth flashed with his grin. “Damn right she buys me socks. How else would I get them?”

“It’s called shopping for yourself, Rio,” she rolled her eyes, “and I know that you’re perfectly capable of it. You haven’t answered the question.”

“Yeah I did.” He lifted his head to slide his hand behind his neck. “I don’t know. What about you?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Liar,” Rio said. “You want a pasta drying rack and you’ve been eyeing that pair of boots at Saks for weeks. You try ‘em on?”

“No,” Beth answered the question, still caught on what he’d just said.

“A little birdie told me that you should, so you can tell me what size you are.”

“Did the little birdie happen to look just like you?” Beth asked.

He shrugged. “Dunno what you’re talking about.”

There was a thump and Rio lifted his head to look over the back of the couch. “He just knocked something off the bed,” he told her, settling back down. “He’s a restless sleeper when he’s sick.”

“Poor baby.” Beth relaxed. “The flu’s no fun.”

He hmph’ed. “What about me?”

Beth patted his stomach. “Poor baby, taking care of someone with the flu’s no fun.”

“‘M tired,” he admitted.

She ran her hand up and down his stomach, sneaking up under his hoodie to scratch lightly. “Let’s go to bed.” She pushed herself off of him, using his fingers to hook on his waistband to pull him up.

Rio waggled his eyebrows. “Shift that hand down and then we’re talking,” he joked, but yawned as he finished speaking. “Or not.”

“Bed,” she told him, using her sternest tone of voice. Rio just kissed her on his way to brush his teeth.

———————————

Rio and Marcus walked through the Christmas fair, taking in all the sights and sounds. Marcus was still a little sniffly, but he had mostly recovered and had returned to school for the end of the week.

“Do you think the fudge lady is here?” Marcus asked, craning his head this way and that, trying to see over the tables.

“I think so,” Rio said. “She’s probably with the other food stalls though.”

Marcus nodded, still looking all around. He slowed, taking a step closer to the nearest stall. Rio peered down the aisle.

“Dad.”

Rio stopped, turning his head to see that Marcus was a couple steps behind, but quickly caught up to grab onto Rio.

Marcus tugged on Rio’s hand. “Come see. It’s really pretty,” he said.

Rio followed him to the display table to see what Marcus was talking about. It was a simple necklace charm of a pink rose.

“I want to get it for Beth for Christmas.”

Rio glanced down at Marcus. “Yeah?”

Marcus nodded. “She wears lots of necklaces.”

“Yeah, she does,” Rio agreed. He waved the artist over to indicate which one they wanted.

“And she really likes flowers,” Marcus went on as Rio handed over cash for the necklace. They watched it being boxed up and the artist handed it directly to Marcus with a smile. “Thank you,” Marcus said, holding the box very carefully as they kept walking.

They found the fudge lady and Marcus picked out two kinds. “We should get lots, so that we can share,” Marcus reminded Rio as they ordered.

“You sure you’re not just trying to get lots for yourself?” Rio teased. “You’re just getting over being sick. If you eat too much fudge and make yourself sick, I’m not gonna be real sympathetic.”

Marcus shook his head. “I want to share. Promise.”

On their way out of the Christmas fair, they detoured to the pop-up café to get Marcus a hot chocolate and a tea for Rio.

“We’re gonna finish that here,” Rio commented. “Not risking that in the car.” He pointed at the tower of whipped cream on top of the hot chocolate. The woman working at the counter had seemed to think that Marcus was the sweetest thing on Earth and had piled on the whipped cream, much to Marcus’ delight.

“Mkay,” Marcus agreed, following Rio to one of the little tables that had just cleared up.

Rio watched in amusement as Marcus strategized how best to get through to the hot chocolate beneath the mountain of cream.

“Feeling tired?” Rio asked.

Marcus shook his head. “No. I’m okay.”

Rio reached out to brush his hand over Marcus’ forehead. He didn’t feel hot.

“Ready to make gingerbread cookies with the Bolands tomorrow?”

Marcus nodded, licking up whipped cream. “Emma says she’ll help me, but that it’s not very hard.”

Rio smiled, sipping his tea. “No?”

“Well, if you want to do really fancy ones,” Marcus allowed. “But I don’t think I’ll be doing that yet.”

“Probably a fair assumption,” Rio agreed.

“Are you going to make cookies with us?”

“Think that might turn into a case of too many cooks in the kitchen, pop. But I’ll keep you guys company and I’ll help decorate too.”

Marcus, finally able to sip at his drink, did just that. When he lowered the cup, he had whipped cream on his nose and cheeks. He must have known it too, because he smiled wide.

Rio chuckled, grabbing a napkin. “You bein’ silly?”

“Uh huh,” Marcus answered, taking the napkin from Rio and wiping his own face. Unfortunately, the next sip did the exact same thing. Rio lifted an eyebrow.

“Maybe I should wait to clean up,” Marcus suggested.

“I bet,” Rio drawled with a shake of the head. “But we’re going to the bathroom to wash up before we go home,” he warned.

Marcus made a face, but nodded, then lifted the cup again to take a big sip. When it went back down, there was more cream on his face and Rio groaned.

——————————

Beth helped the kids roll out the gingerbread dough, making sure that it wasn’t sticking to the counter. Not for the first time, she thanked whoever had invented rolling pins with width markers to prevent them from making the dough too thick or thin.

“What’s this one?” Marcus asked, holding up an angel cookie cutter upside-down.

Beth reached out and flipped it.

“Oh!” Marcus laughed. He promptly cut out six of them, then rolled away the excess dough like Beth had shown him. Across the counter, Emma was carefully maximizing the amount of cookies she could get out of the dough she’d rolled out.

Danny was helping Jane with the plastic cookie cutters, which never seemed to work as well, and Kenny transferred the cut out cookies onto pans.

“Move that one over a little,” Beth called out to him. He moved the star so that it was offset to the previous row. “Good.”

“Why do you do that?” Marcus asked, smushing the dough back into a ball to roll out again.

“Put the cookies like that?”

He nodded.

“So that they bake evenly,” Beth explained.

“Maybe that’s why mine never turn out,” Rio said as he came into the kitchen. “All fixed.”

“Thanks,” Beth smiled at him. “And I’m sure that’s not the only reason yours never turned out.”

He laughed, craning his neck to inspect the cookies that had already been baked. “Is that a moose?”

“It’s a reindeer!” Jane yelled. 

It was a moose cookie cutter, but Beth had incorporated it into her Christmas cookie collection ages ago and had been telling the kids it was a reindeer ever since.

“Gonna decorate one of them like Rudolph?” Rio asked.

“Uh huh,” Jane replied, her tongue between her teeth as she and Danny carefully peeled the cut outs off the counter. “And Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.”

Rio nodded. “Makes sense.” He patted her back. “I was gonna make tea. Anyone else?”

There was a chorus of no thank yous, then Jane called out, “Can you make hot chocolate?”

“I can do that,” Rio agreed. “Let me guess, five of those.”

“Six,” Beth said. “With whipped cream.”

“Sounds like I’m being given a lot of work,” Rio commented, putting the kettle on first.

“Thank you, Daddy!” Marcus called out with a grin. Rio shook his head at the streak of flour on his cheek, but didn’t say anything.

Rio made them their hot chocolates, complete with whipped cream and cinnamon, before disappearing into the bedroom.

Rio joined them to decorate the cookies. His steady hand meant that he didn’t have much trouble making intricate patterns on the gingerbread.

“That’s pretty!” Emma leaned over to look at the snowflake he was piping white frosting on. “Mine keeps being squiggly.” She frowned at her own cookie.

Rio set down the bag and stood up to stand behind Emma. “Here, let me help.” Wrapping his hands around hers, he helped Emma position her hands on the bag - one gripping it and the other supporting it near the nozzle. “We gotta go at the right speed,” he said as he squeezed gently. “If we go too fast, the line breaks and if we go too slow, it will make a squiggle.”

Emma nodded as he guided her hands through outlining the heart cookie.

“Now you try,” he said, letting go, but staying behind her as she did another line of icing just inside the first one. “There you go,” he praised her as she got back to her starting point.

She tilted her head back to grin at him. “Thanks, Rio.”

“No problem,” he replied, kissing her forehead and making her giggle.

When he lifted his head and met Beth’s gaze, she was a little misty eyed. “You need help too, mami?” Rio teased, moving to stand behind her.

“No!” Beth laughed, but he wrapped himself around her and did his best to ruin her cookie. “Rio!” she protested as he guided her hand back and forth across the cookie, getting icing everywhere.

“I think it looks nice,” Rio said, looking at the pile of red icing zigzagging over top of the otherwise neatly done bell cookie. “Abstract.”

She elbowed him lightly in the stomach. “It looks like Buddy decorated it,” Beth said even as she took a pinch of green sprinkles and dumped them on top.

“Buddy would never decorate a cookie,” Danny said, dragging a toothpick across the surface of his cookie. “He would just eat it.”

Buddy whined from his place in the living room, recognizing his name but aware that he wasn’t allowed to be involved with everything going on in the kitchen.

“Sorry Buddy,” Jane said, “but no gingerbread cookies for you. They’re bad for dogs.”

Buddy lowered his head down on top of his paws and shut his eyes.

Rio buried his face in the back of Beth’s neck and kissed her there before moving back to his chair.

A little while later, the cookies all decorated, Rio was in the office doing some invoices when Emma knocked on the doorframe.

“Yeah?” He lifted his head as he finished typing up a sentence.

She came into the office. “Can you take us Christmas shopping for Mom?”

Rio closed his laptop. “You don’t do that with your dad?”

Emma shrugged. “He gave us money. He offered to take us, but he’s not good at shopping. He said that Kenny could get Mom some carpet cleaner.” Her wide-eyed expression relayed her horror.

“When you thinking?” Rio asked.

“Thursday,” Emma said. “Mom has an event and you have Marcus, so you can say that you’ll watch us.”

“I’ll need the van,” he said. “Let me guess, you have a plan for that.”

Emma turned sheepish. “Aunt Ruby can pick her up.”

Rio laughed. She was just like her mother. “You talk to her already?”

She shook her head. “I thought I’d ask you first.”

Still chuckling, Rio nodded. “I can do Thursday. And I’ll talk to your Aunt Ruby.”

“Thanks,” she replied, smiling wide. She didn’t hesitate before hugging him and Rio wrapped his arms around her.

“Anything else?” he asked, letting go of her.

She shook her head. “We’re gonna watch Elf after dinner. You should watch with us.”

“I will,” Rio answered. “But, I gotta finish this up before dinner if we’re doing that.”

“Kay.” Emma left the office. Rio smiled when she reached the doorway and turned around to smile back at him. Then he opened his laptop and went back to his invoices.

————————

Jane was very carefully opening up the testers of lotion and sniffing. “I don’t want Mommy to smell like food,” she huffed, putting the candy cane one back on the shelf and turning to Rio.

“That’s fair,” he agreed.

Emma, Kenny, and Danny had already chosen gifts for Beth, purchased with money that Dean had given them. Jane hadn’t been able to find anything and Rio could see that she was starting to get frustrated.

“What about a book?” Marcus suggested. “Your mom likes books.”

Jane shook her head. “She doesn’t have a lot of time to read.”

Beth had said almost the exact same thing a couple of weeks ago when they’d gone to pick up something for Emma from the bookstore.

“And whenever we get her chocolates or candies, she shares with us!” Jane shook her head. “I want something just for her.”

Rio considered. “Your mom likes taking baths. What about some of those tub teas or bath bombs that she talks about? That would be just for her.”

“Yeah!” Jane lit up. “Let’s go to the place with the bath bombs where you get to pick out which one you want from the big crates.”

Rio had no idea what she meant.

“Lush,” Danny offered.

Right. He could do that. He herded the kids to the Lush at the end of the mall.

“I should get Mommy’s present here too,” Marcus decided.

Kenny went with Jane to the bath bomb section as Danny went to inspect the giant blocks of soap.

Rio trailed after Marcus, keeping his eyes on the other four as well.

Kenny was very carefully picking out bath bombs and holding them out for Jane to smell.

“How about this one?” Marcus pointed to one of the brightly wrapped gift sets. Rio nodded and Marcus began to consider which one to choose for Cassie. On the other side of the store, Emma was helping Jane put bath bombs into paper bags as Kenny washed his hands.

“Do you think Mommy would like the blue one or the swirly one?” Marcus asked, trying to decide between two wrappers.

Rio looked at them. “Swirly.”

Marcus nodded, like Rio had confirmed his own thought, then took it from the shelf.

“This is your whole budget,” Rio reminded him.

“Yeah and it has a bunch of stuff in it,” Marcus said.

Rio couldn’t deny that logic and he knew that Cassie would use the products happily. “Sounds good.” Rio set his hand on Marcus’ Spiderman covered head and looked up to see the other four approaching. “All done?” He asked Jane.

She nodded. “Danny helped me do the math. He says it’s going to be $15.72.”

Rio smiled. He was probably right too. “And the rest of it?” Rio led them to line up.

“Can we go and get her coffee beans?” Jane asked. “She’s the only one who drinks it because it’s gross, so she won’t share with us.”

Laughing, he nodded. “Sounds good, peanut.” He went with her to the counter to pay, then started to lead them all back to the car, making a stop at the coffee shop for a bag of beans.

Beth had a horde of wrapping supplies in the craft closet, so he helped get it all out and wrap the gifts.

It took some convincing to explain to Jane that she couldn’t wrap the bath things with the beans without making them taste funny, but she eventually agreed to put them in different packages.

Rio held the ribbon in place as Emma looped it for a bow. “Thanks!” she said once it was done. “I’m gonna go put it under the tree.”

“Wait for me!” Jane protested, still writing out the gift tag.

Emma sighed, but sank back down into her chair to wait for her younger sister.

Rio ran his hand over Emma’s hair and smiled when she looked up at him. She leaned into his touch for a second, but hopped up when Jane finished the tag.

After they finished, Marcus and Jane wanted to go out in the snow and Rio spent ten minutes figuring out how the hell Jane’s snow pants went on.

“How do these work?” he muttered, pulling up a strap he could have sworn wasn’t there a second ago.

Jane shrugged. “I dunno.”

Emma stepped in to help. “Like this.” She matched the strap with a buckle. “Because someone kept taking her snow pants off,” she said. “She has to wear these ones because she can’t get out of them.”

“It’s not fair,” Jane sighed.

Rio checked that Marcus’ mittens were on. “Getting too hot in there?” he asked.

“Jane’s almost ready, right?” Marcus asked. He didn’t whine, but he was getting a bit overheated and impatient.

“Yeah!” Jane answered, pulling her coat on. “Can you do up the zipper, Rio?” She held up her hands, already in her mitts. Smiling, Rio crouched to do up her jacket.

“Hood on or off?”

“Off,” Jane replied, brushing some hair off her face. Rio zipped up the jacket, then lifted the hair and slid it up under her knit hat to tuck behind her ear.

“There.” He stood up and went to open the door to the backyard. “Stay in the yard, yeah?”

They both nodded. Or at least it looked like they were nodding. They were so overdressed it was hard to tell. But they bolted the second that he opened the door for them.

Emma, who had migrated to the kitchen, shivered as Danny joined them.

“Did you wrap your ma’s present?” Rio asked him.

Danny nodded. “Just put it under the tree. Can we work on art stuff?”

By the time Beth came home, Rio and Danny, with the occasional input from Emma, Kenny, Jane, and Marcus, had made a set of stamps out corks, erasers, pieces of cardboard and string.

“What’s this?” she asked, pressing her cold face into Rio’s neck.

Rio kept painting ink onto the stamp and blotted it, then stamped it onto the big sheet of paper they were testing on.

“We’re making some stamps for my ink project,” Danny answered.

“I like this one,” she said as she tapped a little star stamp that Emma had suggested they make. “I think I have some fabric paint around somewhere,” she commented. “Maybe you could make your grandma a printed apron or something.”

Danny’s head came up. “I’d have to test it first,” he said. “I think the viscosity is different.”

Rio smiled at Danny’s use of the word and tilted his head back to look at Beth. “How was today?”

“It was a holiday party,” Beth sighed. “I’m looking forward to the post New Year’s quiet when no one’s got work events and everyone’s on a diet.”

“That happen every year?”

Beth nodded. “Without fail. Some retail bakers we have connections with take their vacations at the beginning of January for that exact reason. Everyone’s watching their waists and their wallets after the excess of the holidays. We don’t have any booking after the first until the tenth.”

Rio thought about it for a moment as Beth poked around the kitchen, snacking while she waited for dinner. “You taking any?”

Beth came to the table with a few carrot sticks in her mouth. Jane promptly followed, taking one from Beth’s hand. She shrugged.

“You could take a little vacation,” he suggested.

“Yeah!” Jane turned her head to look up at Beth. “You always say that you need to get some rest. You should take a vacation and stay home with us until we have to go back to school.”

Beth wrapped her arm around Jane. “Should I?”

“We can do crafts and play with our Christmas stuff and eat leftovers,” Jane started listing things as Beth met Rio’s eye. He did his best to convey to her that he hadn’t been thinking about that kind of vacation and if the look of amusement on her face meant anything, he guessed that she knew.

“We’ll talk about it,” she said, when they got up to clear the table for dinner.

——————————

“I couldn’t help but notice that there’s a few more presents under the tree,” Beth said, climbing onto the bed later, only to straddle Rio.

He reached up to pull her head down towards his. “Dunno what you’re talking about.”

“You took them shopping?”

“Maybe,” Rio teased.

Beth sighed into his lips. “Thanks.”

“I told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Elizabeth.” He massaged the back of her scalp.

“No?” she nearly purred. “So I should thank somebody else?” She cupped his cock in her hand and squeezed lightly.

Rio’s breath hitched.

“Because I was thinking,” she shoved the blankets aside, “how I was going to thank you.”

“And what were you thinking, Elizabeth?” he asked, his eyes slipping partially closed.

“I was thinking I’d suck you off.”

“I took them shopping,” he said without pause, lifting his head to kiss her, making Beth laugh. “You can thank me.”

Still laughing, Beth shifted down to plant kisses across his chest, fingers slipping under the waistband of his boxer-briefs.

She tugged them down over his hardening cock and tossed them aside before settling between his legs.

Rio relaxed into the pillows at the top of the bed, shoving a few more behind his head so he could watch. Beth bit her lip as his eyes focused on her. He lifted his hand and ran his pinky down the side of her face, hooking her hair back.

Beth broke eye contact, lowering her head so that she could run her lips against the vein on the underside of Rio’s cock. He swallowed audibly, letting out a harsh breath when she licked below the head.

Tilting her head to the side, she sucked lightly on the same spot. Rio’s legs fell open a little wider and Beth put her hands against the insides of his thighs, scratching him lightly. His muscles jumped under her touch.

Beth took him further into her mouth, sucking, then pulling up to let him slip free with a pop. She took him in hand, then dove back down.

Rio’s hips shifted, but he didn’t try to thrust into her mouth or push her head down. Taking a breath, she went down as far as she could, until he was tickling the back of her throat and testing her gag reflex.

“Oh fuck,” Rio cursed, his hand on her head tightening in her hair. He seemed to realize it immediately, letting go and stroking over the spot.

She teased the underside of the head with her tongue.

Rio’s breath was harsh and she could feel his thigh muscles tightening under her palm as she rubbed her palm there. She took him deep again and his answering groan was low.

She kept doing that - alternating between paying attention to the sensitive spots near the tip and taking him as deep as she could, enjoying his reactions.

“I’m gonna -“ Rio said, his hands pulling Beth up, but she just patted his thigh and sucked. Hard. He groaned and started to empty in her mouth.

He moaned with every pull of her mouth as she swallowed until there was nothing left. Rising up, she smacked her lips and Rio whined.

“Mami, I’m not gonna make it to Christmas, you keep doing shit like that.”

She laughed, snuggling against his chest. He slid his hand under the waist of her pajama pants and groped her ass.

“My turn.”

—————————

Beth kicked her feet up with a groan.

Ruby pushed the plate of leftovers towards her and Beth picked up a handful of something to snack on.

“I don’t know what to get Rio for Christmas.”

“Sex,” Annie said without a beat.

Ruby snorted. “I think she’s giving him that on the regular.”

“Doesn’t change my answer.”

Ruby ignored Annie. “What’s he mentioned wanting? Some kind of activity, thing, whatever.”

Beth thought about it. “He wants me to stop wearing pajamas.”

Annie choked on her food.

Ruby blinked. “He wants you to sleep in the buff? He knows you’ve got five kids between the two of you, right?”

Beth rolled her eyes. “He says he wants me to be wearing those little nighties and robes and stuff.”

“So buy yourself a bunch of those,” Annie suggested.

“That’s not a gift for him,” Beth said with a shake of her head.

“Annie might have a point,” Ruby said. “Is any of it stuff that you would buy for yourself?”

Beth shook her head.

“Then it’s for him.” Ruby shrugged. “Throw in something materialistic like a book and you’re golden.”

Annie laughed. “See, I make sense sometimes.”

Beth scrunched up a napkin and tossed it at her sister.

“So where you gonna go?” Ruby asked. “If it’s one of the fancy places, you’d better make a fitting appointment soon. It’s coming up on Christmas real quick.”

“Don’t you have tomorrow morning and afternoon off?” Annie said in a faux-sweet voice.

Which led Beth to walking into an upscale lingerie boutique the next day.

“Beth?” the woman behind the counter asked.

“That’s me.”

“I’m Katya. Just follow me back. I’ll measure you and we can talk about what you’re looking for.”

She felt a little ridiculous at first, trying on the sexy nighties and Katya picked up on it.

“You’re not entirely comfortable in this style, are you?” Katya asked.

Beth looked down at herself and made a face.

“What if we go for something a little less in your face?” Katya suggested. “We’ve got some really great sets that I would describe as absolutely romantic. Still sexy, don’t get me wrong, but softer.”

“Sure,” Beth replied, just wanting to get out of the black lacey thing she was in.

Katya’s suggestions were perfect and fit Beth like a dream. Then she pulled silky robes that Beth wanted in every colour and by the time Beth walked out of the store, she had bags of lingerie and a feeling that looking at her credit card statement later was going to give her a mild heart attack.

She hid them in the closet, behind her shoeboxes.

_No snooping in the closet!_ she messaged Rio.

_Well now I want to,_ came his reply.

_It’ll spoil the surprise._

_We been over that,_ came a few minutes later.

Shaking her head, she sent him back an emoji sticking out its tongue.

Just in case, she shoved the bags a little deeper.

—————————

Rio did one last walkthrough of the shop with Jojo.

“You ready to leave your baby for seven whole days?” she teased him.

He snorted. “This place is older than me.”

“Not what I meant,” Jojo said as she jabbed him in the side. “And you know it.”

“Yeah yeah,” Rio muttered, making sure the sign on the door had the correct details for the 30th time that day. “You ready to hang out with your in-laws?”

Jojo sighed. “In theory. You ready to hand the munchkin off?”

Rio made a face.

“You’re still going to Beth’s, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good,” Jojo said, punching him in the bicep. “Thinking about you sitting alone in your fortress of solitude on Christmas just makes me feel sad.”

“Fortress of solitude?” Rio repeated. “What d’you think I am, Batman?”

“No, then I would have said Batcave. Fortress of solitude is Superman,” Jojo teased as she unlocked her car. “But, have a good holiday, and I’ll see you again on the 27th.”

“Have a good Christmas,” Rio replied with a nod, waiting until she got in her car to walk the rest of the way to his and went to pick up Marcus for their last night before he went with Cassie to visit her parents.

—————————

Rio hugged Marcus tightly. “Be good for your mom, okay?”

Marcus nodded, squeezing Rio just as tight. “I will,” he promised. “Are you gonna call me on Christmas morning?”

“Yup.” Rio ran his hand over Marcus’ hair. “And I’ll see you on the 27th when you come back.”

“Okay.” Marcus started to pull away and Rio let him, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. Standing up, he nodded to Cassie, who was half-watching from the kitchen.

She smiled and nodded back. “Have a good Christmas, Rio,” she said. “And tell Beth thank you for the cookies!”

“I helped make them!” Marcus reminded Cassie.

“Yes, but I don’t need your dad to tell you thanks, do I?” Cassie ruffled Marcus’ hair. “We’ll call Christmas morning, after presents, but before my mom serves breakfast,” she told Rio.

He jerked his chin up in a nod. “Drive safe, yeah?”

“Logan always does,” Cassie said with a laugh. “He’s like an eighty year old woman sometimes, I swear.”

“It’s ‘cuz I’m precious cargo,” Marcus piped up, taking a seat at the kitchen table with a glass of juice.

Cassie turned to duck her head down and smother him in kisses. “Yes you are!”

“Mom!” Marcus squirmed, giggling.

Rio stepped back. “I’m gonna head out. Call me if anything comes up, okay?”

Cassie straightened up, nodding. “See you on the 27th!”

“Bye, Daddy!” Marcus slid off his chair to run over for one last hug.

Rio walked out of Cassie’s house feeling listless. Holidays were the trickiest. Pulling out his phone before getting into the car, he called Beth’s number.

“I’m not letting you look in the closet!” she told him, making him laugh.

“What are you up to?” he kicked his boot against the rim of the front wheel.

She groaned. “Christmas parties. We’re catering three of them tonight, so I’m handling set up at one of them, then heading to another one while Ruby does the third. I’m about to head out, actually. But, if that’s you asking if I’m free later, the last event is about a ten minute drive from your place and I’d love to crawl into your bed and die as soon as I’m done.”

Rio laughed, opening the door and getting in. “That’d be good. Not the dying part though. Don’t wanna have to explain that. Depending when you get in, I might be asleep though. Been up all day.”

“It was the last day with Marcus, wasn’t it?” she said softly and it made Rio smile.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“Well, I’ll probably wake you up with my cold hands and feet,” she said, “so get some sleep while you can.”

Rio hummed. “Drive safe, yeah? They’re calling for snow.”

“I do know how to drive in the snow, you know that, right?”

“I can’t want you to be careful?” he teased. “Want you in one piece when you get to mine.”

Beth made a noise somewhere between a groan and a laugh. “Well if you want me to drive careful, I need to hang up because I’m about to get into the van.”

“See you later,” he said.

“Love you!”

It was hours later, after he’d eaten dinner and grabbed a drink with an old friend, Eddie, that Beth slid into bed with him. 

Turning, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders even as she shoved her hands against his stomach, making him hiss.

“Fuck!”

Beth laughed into his side. “I warned you.”

He grabbed her hands and brought them to his mouth to blow on them and rub them. He winced when she shoved her feet between his thighs as well. “You wear mittens?”

“Yes,” she said, rubbing her nose, which was also cold, practically into his armpit. “Saw wrapping paper on the table. You wrapping my present earlier?”

Rio smiled. “Yeah.”

“No fair,” she muttered.

“You can take a peek if you let me look in the closet,” he told her.

She grumbled something he couldn’t make out and pressed herself even closer to him. “Go to sleep,” she commanded. “‘M tired.”

Rio kissed the top of her head and did just that.

—————————————

Beth was running around the house, righting bows that hung on garlands on the stairs, adjusting the plates of treats on the counter.

Rio stepped into her path and took both of her hands in his. Expression stern, he looked her in the eye. “Everything’s perfect, Elizabeth.”

“But -“

“Uh uh,” he said. “Perfect.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Although you coulda put up more mistletoe,” he murmured against her lips.

She pulled back. “You’re just telling me that now?”

“I’m kidding!” Rio groaned. “People will start showing up any second.”

“I know!” Beth said. “I sent the invitations.”

Rio shook his head and kissed her again. “If I thought we had time,” he said, “I’d take you back into the bedroom and get this nervous energy out of you.” She shivered. “I’ll keep that in mind next time you throw a party.”

“It’s not a party,” Beth insisted. “It’s a get together.”

Rio gave her the same look he’d given her every time that she said that. He didn’t have time to say anything, the front door opening.

“Hello!”

Beth’s head turned towards the door as the kids spilled in, followed by a woman that Rio knew had to be Dean’s mother. His hands tightened fractionally.

Beth squeezed his forearm. “She doesn’t bite. She’s actually pretty tolerable.”

Rio snorted, then turned to greet the kids and introduce himself. From there, it was a steady stream of arrivals - the Hill family, his mother, Annie and Sadie, Lora’s family. The house was fuller than it had ever been when he was in it, but everyone was comfortable spreading out as the kids ran back and forth from the table of sweets.

“Should have put it out of their reach,” Rio said to Beth, standing behind her with his arm around her middle, as they talked with Stan and Nick. Danny was passing cookies to the smaller kids.

“They’re going to crash so bad later.” Beth sounded amused and the tiniest bit tipsy.

“Yeah, maybe they’ll actually stay in bed until 9 am,” Annie said, joining their circle.

“9 am?” Beth laughed. “You think I’m gonna get them to stay in bed until 9? We’ve agreed on 7:30.”

Annie groaned. “You’re insane, Beth. 7:30? In the morning?”

“Yes,” Beth said as she reached out to flick the bow on her sister’s headband, “7:30 in the morning. Jane was pushing for 7.”

More like 6, Rio thought, taking a sip of his drink.

“We split the difference and went for 7:15,” Stan said. “Sara’s mad we’re getting her up that early on a holiday. I think she’d be happy with 9. You sure you don’t want her, Annie?”

Annie put her hand over her heart. “I would love to take Sara. You can’t have Sadie though.”

“Yeah, I am not stylish enough for that kid,” Stan agreed. “He’d be wearing dad jeans and pullovers inside a month and he’d hate it.”

The party flowed easily. Beth might be on the catering side of things rather than party planning, but she knew how to host. His mother was nearly delirious with excitement as she and Judith talked about knitting for grandchildren. Apparently Dean’s pain-in-the-ass gene didn’t come from his mom.

“I’m starting to think that maybe we should be worried about those two,” Rio said after a while.

Beth just laughed. “Oh relax.”

“They’re gonna be knitting us all matching sweaters and shit if we let ‘em.”

“You would wear it happily,” she said. He would, but he’s not about to admit it. She might go out and actually get them matching outfits.

“Rio!” Emma came running up to them, her velvet bow in her hands. “It fell out.”

“Uh oh,” Rio let go of Beth to accept the bow. “You been tugging on it?”

“Maybe a little,” Emma admitted, like she hadn’t been petting the soft velvet for the last hour. He quickly reattached it to the back of the braid crown.

“There.”

“Thanks!” Emma spun away back towards her cousins.

Eventually, the party broke up, everyone heading home for the night.

Rio had to pick Emma up and carry her upstairs even though she kept insisting that she was fine. “I’m not sleepy,” she said, even as she wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled in.

“Uh huh,” Rio said, climbing the stairs. “Not sure I buy that.”

She giggled. “I’m not selling anything!”

“Oh I know,” Rio teased. “You gonna be able to stay awake long enough to brush your teeth?”

She didn’t say anything, but when he dropped her on her bed, she was still awake.

“Brush your teeth,” he scolded.

“_I_ already did,” Jane came into the bedroom in her pajamas.

Rio gave her a look. “Now go to sleep.”

“I don’t wanna.” Jane climbed into her bed anyway.

“If you don’t go to sleep, how’s Christmas gonna come?” Rio asked.

“Danny says that time happens no matter what you’re doing,” Jane replied.

Rio lifted an eyebrow. “Oh does it now?” He tickled her. “Go to bed and it’ll come faster, how about that?”

At some point, Emma had slipped away to get ready for bed.

“Can you read me a story?” Jane asked, taking his hand and starting to trace the backs of his hand.

Rio shook his head. “Not tonight, peanut.”

“Why not?” Jane wanted to know.

“It’s late,” he said. “We gotta get to bed, yeah?”

Jane made a face. “But -“

“No buts,” Rio cut her off. “Bed time.”

She sighed, but pulled up the blanket so she could slide under the covers. “Fine.”

“Goodnight, Jane,” he said with a smile.

“Night Rio.”

He flipped off the light on his way out the door, saying goodnight to Emma when he passed her in the hall on his way back downstairs.

Danny and Kenny were going around picking up dishes and cups to take to the kitchen, but they seemed just as tired as the girls. Danny kept stifling yawns in his sleeve.

“You can go on up, honey,” Beth said as she moved the coffee table back into place.

“I said I’d do that,” Rio went to help her.

Beth just rolled her eyes. “It’s not heavy and I’m not even lifting it.”

“Uh huh,” he muttered, moving it with her. “I’ll do the chairs,” he said, “go load the dishwasher like you’re itching to.”

She moved to stand in front of him, stretching her hand up to rest on his cheek. “Tea?”

“Nah, I’m good, thanks,” Rio answered, bending to kiss her before she went to the kitchen, followed by Kenny with some wine glasses. Rio set his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “You’ve done enough, you can go on up to bed.”

“Don’t want to go to sleep yet,” he protested. “Or I’ll wake up too early.”

“I think you’re about to drop, kid,” Rio said, but when Danny shook his head, he sighed. “Alright, help finish up down here, but then head to bed.”

Danny nodded. “Uh huh. We’re almost done anyway.”

He was right. Everyone had kept things pretty neat and most dishes had already been deposited in the kitchen, so he was able to send Danny up to bed a few minutes later while he finished moving the chairs back into place.

Kenny and Beth were clearing off plates and loading the dishwasher together, talking quietly, although they stopped when he came in.

“The girls go to bed?” Beth asked.

“Well,” Rio responded, “they’re in bed. That’s all I’m willing to attest to at this point.”

Beth laughed as he came up behind her and kissed down the side of her face to her neck and across to her shoulder. “That’s it, huh?”

“You never know with Jane,” Rio said.

Beth relaxed against his chest.

“She’ll go to sleep,” Kenny said, “but she’s going to wake up at 5 am.”

“That’s a tomorrow problem,” Rio told him.

Kenny shook his head, but he was smiling. “Jane loves Christmas.”

“I love Christmas!” Beth insisted.

“Yeah, but you don’t try to wake me up at 5, asking if I’ll help her change the clocks,” Kenny replied.

“When did she do that?” Beth wanted to know.

“Last year,” Kenny said, putting the last piece of cutlery into the dishwasher.

Rio tried to keep his laughter quiet, but Beth must have felt it because she glared up at him for a second before she broke too.

“I told her if we did that, Santa would take all the presents back,.”

“Kenny! Don’t torment your sister,” Beth scolded.

Kenny looked at her. “She tormented me first,” he responded. “It was 5am, Mom.”

Beth ruffled Kenny’s hair. “It wasn’t so long ago you were sneaking into my bedroom at five in the morning to say that Santa had come and could we please get up early.”

Kenny’s cheeks pinked.

“Let your sister have her excitement,” Beth said, smoothing his hair back into place. “Soon you’ll all be grown up and no one will want to get out of bed until 10 am and then you’ll go off to college and -“

Rio squeezed her tighter to him. “Hey,” he interrupted. “Not tonight.”

He said it softly, but Kenny had closed the dishwasher and came to stand in front of them. He met Rio’s eye and jerked his chin up. Rio wasn’t exactly sure what he had in mind, but he let Beth go. Kenny stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

“Love you, Mom.”

Rio heard Beth sniff. “Love you too, baby.”

“Now stop freaking out,” Kenny said with a pat on her back before pulling back. “Remember, when we’re in college, we’ll be underfed and desperate to come home for a visit.”

Beth laughed.

“Can I watch TV for a bit before I go up to bed?” Kenny asked.

Beth nodded. “Just keep the volume low.”

Kenny left them in the kitchen. Beth started the dishwasher, then turned towards Rio, leaning against the counter as she did. She was a little red-eyed, but wasn’t crying.

“I’m a mess,” she said.

“Nah,” Rio put his hands on either side of her, “you’re just emotional. Happens this time of year.”

Beth reached up to play with one of the buttons on his shirt.

“Now,” he said, “how about you go give Kenny a time he’s got to be in bed by and I’ll go run a bath for us.”

“Us, huh?” Beth’s smile told him she liked that idea.

“Yeah, us. You can even light a bunch of those candles,” he suggested.

Beth stopped playing with the button and patted his chest. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

Rio leaned down until their lips were just a breath apart. “Do I need to try?”

—————————

It was the whispering that woke Rio up. He was comfortable, wrapped around Beth, pressing against her ass and half cupping her breast. He pulled her a little closer and then froze, the sound registering for the first time. He lifted his head from the pillow to find himself staring at Emma and Jane. He let go of Beth.

“Why don’t you have a shirt on?” Jane asked.

Rio swallowed. “Gets too hot.”

“Oh,” Jane said, then nodded. “Can we open presents now?”

Rio looked at the clock, then back at the girls. “That look like 7:30 to you?”

“It’s close!” Jane protested. 7:10 wasn’t that close.

He looked down at Beth, who was somehow still asleep. “You can’t open presents, but if you help me make a coffee for your mama and hot chocolate for you, you’re allowed in the same room as the tree.”

“Okay!” they both agreed. When they didn’t move, he sighed and shimmied out of bed on the far side. At least he had sweatpants on, he thought as he grabbed a t-shirt from the drawer that he’d taken over. He led them out of the bedroom, closing the door behind them so that they wouldn’t wake Beth up before they needed to.

“Merry Christmas,” Emma said, wrapping her arms around him from the side as they walked.

He set his hand on her head. “Merry Christmas to you too.” He ruffled Jane’s hair with his other hand.

“Merry Christmas,” Jane said in a single breath, “will you do my hair?”

Rio smiled. “Once the coffee’s started.”

Jane and Emma were practically twitching from excitement, but they helped him get mugs and all the ingredients out. Braiding Jane’s hair meant braiding Emma’s hair too, but before long, everything was ready and it really was almost 7:30.

“You can go wake your ma up,” Rio said. “But no jumping on the bed.”

“Okay!” Jane ran off right away.

“I’ll get Kenny and Danny,” Emma said, hopping off the stool. “Although they’re probably awake.”

Emma was right and she didn’t even get halfway up the stairs before bedroom doors started opening. Rio bit back a smile. They might play at being older, but Kenny and Danny were still kids.

It took a minute longer for Beth to come out, dressed in an old robe and yawning as Jane pulled at her hand.

“Come on, Mommy, Rio made coffee!” she was saying.

Beth laughed. “I’m coming, I’m coming!” As she passed each of her kids, she gave them a hug and kiss on the head as she told them Merry Christmas. Even Kenny didn’t squirm at that. When she got to him, she ignored the cup of coffee he was offering to her and went up on her toes.

“Merry Christmas,” she said before kissing him.

Rio set the mug on the counter so he could hold her. It wasn’t a long kiss, the kids were right there, waiting to be given the sign that they could open presents, but when Beth pulled away, he kissed each part of her face as she sank back down onto her heels.

“Merry Christmas,” he replied.

“Now please give me coffee.”

Laughing, he handed the mug over. She took a sip and turned to the kids.

“Alright,” she said, waving her hand at them, “go wild.”

Poor choice of words. The kids sprang on the presents, starting to move them around so that they were in piles for each person. Rio and Beth followed more slowly and when it looked like she was going for a chair, he wrapped his arm around her and drew her towards the couch.

She laughed softly, but curled up next to him on the couch, resting her head on his shoulder. “Thanks for occupying them,” she murmured.

Rio just smiled and stroked her hair as they watched the kids run around.

Emma deposited a bag on his lap, then darted back to the tree to the next one. He checked the tag - Kenny and Danny. He turned his head to look at Beth, but she shrugged. The smile on her face told him that she knew what it was though.

It didn’t take long for the four kids to distribute the presents with minimal fuss and look to Beth, who nodded.

Rio sipped his tea and chuckled as Jane demanded his attention while she was unwrapping something from him. It went quickly - the kids weren’t exactly being cautious with ripping paper, with the exception of Emma, who was carefully opening each present and then folding the paper to put in the recycling.

Beth nudged him. “Ready to start opening yours?”

“Are you?”

She picked up a present that Rio knew was from Kenny and ripped the tape off. Shaking his head at the glee in her eyes, he lifted a present from the top of the stack they’d built for him.

Rio carefully unwrapped the package labelled with his name, FROM JANE written very neatly below it.

He’d guessed what it was the second that he saw it - Jane hadn’t done anything to disguise the shape of the sketchbook, but as soon as it was unwrapped, she tugged on his pajama pant leg.

“Open it!”

Rio opened the cover. On the inside cover, in Jane’s most careful handwriting, was a message.

_ Dear Rio,_

_I got you this so you can draw lots more pictures._

_Love, Jane _

He smiled, reaching down to set his hand on her head. “Thanks, peanut.”

They made their way through the presents much more slowly than the kids were, occasionally stopping to ohh and ahh over something.

There was an envelope with his name on it. Rio opened it, slid out the card. It was from Beth and had a single line of writing in it.

_I bought nightgowns._

He grinned, looking up to catch Beth looking at him. She blushed, her cheeks turning even redder when he winked.

He leaned over to her. “I like the sound of that.”

“Good,” she said, “because I had no idea what to get you!” She jabbed him in the belly.

Rio just laughed and kissed her quickly.

——————

Christmas morning was always hectic, but Beth couldn’t help but feel a sense of calm that she hadn’t for years. Last year had been the first post-divorce and Dean had wanted to come over in the morning. She’d agreed and the whole day had made her a nervous wreck. It had been awful, but she’d been doing her best to keep it together.

The years before that, the strain between her and Dean had always gotten worse around the holidays. Beth had always been a believer in sticking to budgets, but Dean would come home with whatever newest gadget the kids had asked for, insisting that they were only kids once.

Yeah, and you can only spend money once, Beth had told him the Christmas before the divorce.

This year, for the first time in ages, Beth felt content watching the kids unwrap their gifts. She wasn’t worried about paying for their momentary happiness for months and months. She wasn’t dreading family breakfast or what would come later. She was just happy.

Beth unwrapped the large square package that Rio had passed to her. It didn’t have a name, but she assumed that it meant that it was from him.

She swallowed when she saw that it was a picture frame with four openings in the mat. One was a drawing of her and Danny in the living room, sitting on the floor and working on something on the coffee table as Kenny read on the couch. Another was her helping Jane and Emma putting away dishes in the kitchen. The other two took her a moment to recognize, then it clicked - they were her garden back in the summer.

She lifted her head to glare at Rio. “You’re going to make me cry on Christmas.”

Smiling, he leaned over to kiss her.

“Can I see?” Emma came over, setting her arms on Beth’s thighs to look. “Oh! It’s us!” The other kids clustered around her to take a peek too.

Beth swiped under her eyes. “You didn’t put yourself in them,” she said to Rio quietly.

“Not this year,” was his response. “No more crying, ma.” He kissed her cheeks. “Next one’s not sentimental at all, promise.”

Laughing, Beth unwrapped the pasta drying rack she’d been drooling over.

Slowly, they wound down and attention turned to putting batteries into things that needed them, throwing out what couldn’t be recycled and folding up what could be.

“I’m going to get started on breakfast if you’ve got this in hand,” Beth told Rio, getting off the couch.

“Sure,” he agreed, although he grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards him so that he could give her another kiss.

A little flustered, Beth left them to tidying up and went to the kitchen to get started.

“When do I get to see my present?” Rio asked, wrapping his arms around Beth’s waist as she cut the bread for french toast.

“Later,” she said under her breath. “When the kids go to Dean’s.”

Rio hummed, biting the tip of her ear. “Gonna give me a fashion show?”

“I was thinking you can get them one at a time,” she glared at him over her shoulder. “When you’re good.”

“That’s hardly fair,” Rio said. “Do I at least get to pick which one I see first?”

Beth nudged him in the belly. “No, because that would defeat the purpose of not showing you. Although I guess I could let you pick between two colours. Blue or white?”

Rio froze, then dropped his head into the curve of her shoulder. “I didn’t think that through,” he groaned. “Fuck, I don’t care.”

Dean picked the kids up mid-way through the afternoon and as soon as they’d pulled out of the driveway, Rio pressed himself against Beth.

“They’re gone,” he said, as if she hadn’t just said goodbye to them.

Giggling, Beth turned in his arms so that she was looking up at him. “What if they forgot something?” she teased, reaching out so that her hand was splayed over his belly.

Rio licked his lips. “Nah, they ain’t coming back.”

“You don’t know that,” Beth said.

“Believe me, mami,” Rio muttered, “I’m willing it into existence.”

She had to bury her face against his chest as she laughed at that, although her breath caught as his hands slid down to cup her ass and then in one swift movement, pulled her as close as they could be while still clothed.

“You promised,” Rio said. “I been good, haven’t I?”

Beth bit on her lower lip and moved her jaw back and forth. “I don’t know about that. You’ve been plenty bad this year.”

“But you enjoyed it,” he argued. “So put it all in the good column, yeah?”

Beth set her hands on his pecs and pushed him back. “Give me a couple minutes to grab one from the closet. When you hear me close the bathroom door, you can wait for me in bed.”

His lips pulled upwards, the lines around his eyes coming out in full effect. “Hurry up,” he demanded, spinning her around with his hands on her hips and giving her a nudge towards the bedroom.

Beth looked at him over her shoulder, but went.

She knew exactly which one she wanted to wear first. It was a midnight blue nightie with cream lace at the hem and bust. She grabbed it and headed into the bathroom to change.

Oh god, she thought, why did I ask him to wait in the bedroom for me? She pulled on the nightie and stood in front of the mirror, tugging it into place. It was a gorgeous piece of clothing, well made and looking at herself in it, Beth couldn’t help feeling a little sexier than usual. She fluffed her hair, adjusted the hem, and opened the door.

Beth came out of the bathroom, feeling a bit self-conscious about the spectacle of it. Rio, leaning back in bed, hands behind his head, just watched her. He didn’t say anything for a moment.

“C’mere,” his voice was husky when he finally spoke.

Beth joined him on the bed, kneeling beside him.

He reached out and ran his hands over the cream lace at the bottom of the nightie. “They all like this?”

Beth shook her head. “Some of them are a little more…risqué.”

Rio just kept toying with the lace. “I like this.” He executed a crunch so that he was sitting up and reached out to pull her into his lap. “It’s pretty.”

“Sexy?” Beth asked.

“Everything’s sexy on you,” Rio said, meeting her eyes. “Even those old lady pajamas.”

Beth laughed, shaking her head and leaning down to kiss him.

His hands slid up her thighs to cup her back and ass.

“This?” He pinched the material at her back. “Is fucking glorious.”

He pulled her mouth back to his, then dropped his hand to cup her breast. His grip was gentle, almost assessing as his fingers ran back and forth over her nipple.

The hand on her back slid down until it reached the back of her thigh, then reversed direction and started to slide back up. Coming into contact with the bare skin of her ass, he broke the kiss. “No matching panties?”

Beth swallowed. “Didn’t think I’d waste the effort of putting them on.”

Rio’s chuckle was low. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” His hand tightened on her ass, his fingers sinking into her flesh. “I’m gonna want to see ‘em later though.”

“Can do,” she promised before kissing him again, not letting him say anything else.

Rio pulled her close and rolled them so that he was on top, hovering over her as he devoured her. His hands shoved up the hem of the nightgown and Beth tugged his sweats down until they fell away.

She took him in her hand at the same time he pushed two fingers inside of her. They both laughed.

“In sync, huh?” Rio said, kissing her as he worked his fingers in and out.

Beth didn’t say anything, just kept stroking his length until he was pulling his fingers out and knocking her hand away. From there, it was just a couple of movements before he was pushing his cock inside of her, making her hiss.

His hand massaged her hip beneath the fabric of the nightie as he slowly thrust in and out of her.

Beth sighed, grabbing the back of his head. “Oh,” she moaned.

“Yeah?” he breathed against her mouth. “Like that?”

She nodded, tightening around him. “Harder.”

“No.”

“Please,” Beth said, lifting her hips to meet his next thrust. “Please, Rio.”

He shook his head, not picking up his pace. If anything, he gentled it. Beth whimpered.

“You’re the sexiest fucking sight,” he murmured. “Wanna watch you like this forever, just like this. Moaning my name. Getting all pink for me. Wet.”

Part of her was tempted to joke that it would make family occasions awkward, but the way that he was looking into her eyes told her that he wasn’t in that kind of mood.

“Think how good I’ll look coming for you,” she said instead. “Come on, let me -“

He shook his head again before pressing their foreheads together.

“No.”

She groaned in frustration. “Why not?”

“Wanna be greedy,” he said, pressing as close as he could and grinding into her. “Don’t want this to end.”

Beth shivered. “It won’t be.” She moaned as he started to thrust a little harder. “Just ‘cause this time will be over doesn’t mean it’s done. Knowing you,” she went on with a grin, “you’ll wait about twenty minutes before wanting to start all over again.”

Rio grunted as he pounded into her.

“You’ll probably start with your hands,” she said. “You’re always touching me and I love it. Will you slip your hand down between my legs, push your fingers inside of me?” His breath caught. “I bet you will.”

He nodded. “Can’t help it,” he admitted. “You’ve got my cum in you.”

Beth arched her back so that their chests were touching. She wanted him to touch her clit or to give her the space to do it. “That make me yours?” she teased.

“Yeah.” He picked up the pace. “Oh fuck, Elizabeth.” He seemed to realize that she needed pressure, so he shifted, pulling his forehead away and propping himself up on one hand as the other one moved down. If she had been expecting him to touch her clit, she was wrong. Instead, he separated his fingers so they were rubbing on either side of his cock. But he only did that a few times before giving her what she needed.

Beth didn’t take long to peak, she was so close already. But Rio fucked her through her orgasm, dragging it out with his fingers and his cock until he too was coming.

When they were both finished, he practically collapsed on top of her.

“Oh god,” Beth groaned as it pushed him deeper.

“I’ll pull out in a second,” he said, panting into her neck.

Beth wrapped her leg around him. “No, it’s good.”

Rio groaned. “You keep up like that, there ain’t gonna be time for my fingers, darling.”

Beth smiled. “I don’t mind.”

—————————————

Beth woke up aching. She groaned.

“Morning, beautiful.”

Beth flushed, turning her head to bury it into her pillow.

Rio tickled her lightly. “None of that. Come on, give me a good morning kiss.”

She did, then made a face. “Oh god, my breath’s probably rank.”

He chuckled, palming her ass.

“What are you grinning about?” Beth asked, rubbing her eyes.

“I looked in the closet.”

Beth looked at him in confusion for a second, then her eyes widened in understanding. “Rio!”

“Can I have the rest of my present now?” he asked, the picture of innocence.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you again to medievalraven and neveroffanon for beta-ing! Thank you to everyone that reads this and kudoses and leaves comments. I don't even know if I can describe how nice it was to read them while I was frantically finishing stuff for end of term. Now I'm off for a few weeks and have already started getting a whole bunch done! 
> 
> As always, please let me know if there's something that you think should needs a warning.


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